1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a domain name resolution system and method and more particularly, to a system and method for selecting an optimal authoritative name server.
2. Related Art
Internet communications involve a client and a server. The client sends a request for a target object and a server responds to the request from the client. The target object includes a domain name service, a web object, etc, For the request of the domain name service, the client requests an internet protocol (“IP”) address of a selected domain name. The domain name is a more user-friendly form than a numeric form of the IP address. The domain name is translated into the numeric form of the IP address so that the server is identified and provides its response. Various name servers perform the domain name service, such as a local name server, a root name server, a top level domain (“TLD”) name server and an authoritative name server.
Arrangements and operations of the root name server and the TLD name server may be predetermined. Internet hosting administrators may rely on the predetermined arrangements of the root name server and the TLD name servers. Internet hosting administrators may select and register with the TLD name servers a group of authoritative name servers for performing the domain name service. It may be business/operational decisions of the internet hosting administrators to determine where and how many authoritative name servers to be deployed across the internet.
An authoritative name server contains authoritative information with respect to the selected domain name and its corresponding IP address. To perform the domain name resolution, the local name server inquires the authoritative name server about the authoritative information. Accordingly, it is desirable to select an optimal authoritative name server to obtain a faster and reliable domain name reply.